Does He Like You?

So. You're talking to a guy at a party; he seems flirty, yet you aren't quite sure he's into you. What gives? Does he like you? "Men are conditioned to suppress their emotions, and as a result they're not as good as women at expressing their feelings," says Kevin Hogan, Psy.D., author of Irresistible Attraction. Luckily, their body language often gives them away—the key to understanding men is learning to interpret their signs.

He fusses over you
If you're mid-convo and he suddenly brushes the hair out of your eyes, he isn't being paternal; he's showing interest.

"When a man is attracted to a woman, he fusses over her by grooming her clothes and hair," says body language expert Patty Wood, author of Success Signals. "It's called 'lint picking'—animals do it too, swatting bugs off potential mates."

He's probably also looking for an excuse to touch you, and briefly entering your personal space is a way to gauge how close he can get. But watch where his hands wander—if his intentions are sincere, he'll respectfully avoid areas like your waist or chest, Wood says.

He looks slightly shocked
As cool as a guy tries to play it, when he's wowed by you it will register on his face. Pay close attention and you'll see him lift his eyebrows slightly and look surprised when talking to you. "This is a subconscious reaction," Wood says. The idea is that he likes what he sees and wants to take it all in.

He turns his chest toward you
When a man points his pecs in your direction, it means you're on his radar, says Helen Fisher, Ph.D., author of Why Him? Why Her? The reasons: evolution and ego. Much as a gorilla commands attention by pounding his chest and roaring, when a guy points his chest your way it means "Look at me, I'm important!"

He slouches
Once you're engaged in conversation, he'll ditch the king of the jungle act and slump forward, rounding his shoulders to appear smaller. "Slouching is a way for a man to seem more approachable to a woman," Hogan says. "His posture says 'I'm on your level, let's connect.'" And according to Fisher, his relaxed stance (otherwise known as "crouching") says he's vulnerable yet comfortable in your presence.

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